On Thursday, a faction of activists made their way onto the construction site of a hotel at La Tejita beach, situated in the municipality of Granadilla de Abona, in Tenerife. They halted the progress of part of the construction near the sea, claiming that it breaches the law by encroaching on an area of “public land domain.” Construction, which had been halted, was resumed by the company in early March, citing four court rulings from the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands. However, the Coastal Authorities argue that the hotel developer, the Galician group Viqueira, lacks the necessary authorization to continue construction in the area which, since 2021, has been designated a maritime public land domain.
In a communication signed by the deputy director general of the Maritime-Terrestrial Public Domain, Ainhoa Pérez Puyol, the Coastal Authorities explicitly stated that the favorable court rulings claimed by the company Comunicación, Comunicación, Comunicación y Derivados SA, the project promoter, do not justify the absence of a license to proceed with construction on the public land domain, constituting at least 18% of the area, as reported by sources from the Save La Tejita association.
Early in the morning, approximately twenty individuals affiliated with the Save La Tejita group gathered around 8:30 a.m. close to the fenced-off area of the urban project adjacent to the beach, chanting slogans such as “it’s not tourismphobia, it’s corruptionphobia.” They carried signs in English stating “fun for a few equals destruction of natural habitats.”
Subsequently, about ten people entered the construction premises and positioned themselves beside one of the bulldozers, bringing its operations to a halt. They unfurled a banner reading “This is our beach,” drawing parallels to the activism spearheaded by artist César Manrique on Lanzarote in the 1980s.
In response to the intervention, a contingent of the Civil Guard and the Local Police engaged with representatives of the Viqueira group, the construction firm, and the activists, collecting their personal information. Despite this, the activists were not forcibly removed and remained within the premises until later in the day.
Alfonso Boullón, a spokesperson for Save La Tejita, stated to EFE that their protest aims to “demand compliance with the law” in light of the “inaction of the authorities,” who fail to address the “failures in various aspects of the permits issued by the Government of the Canary Islands.”
Boullón elaborated, “Our demand is that the directives from the General Directorate of the Coast and Sea of Spain are adhered to, asserting that this land falls under the public maritime-terrestrial domain, consequently prohibiting the Viqueira company from destroying it in any manner (…) It is disheartening that citizens have to educate the company and authorities on the law.”
Furthermore, he highlighted that the “construction deadline has already lapsed” and the project lacks “a wastewater treatment system,” leading to the direct discharge of sewage into the sea.
“This is the final straw (…) We call for an end to this madness, the rush to flout the law, to destroy the environment, and sell off everything to the highest bidder. We urge compliance with regulations that safeguard the environment, for the collective well-being,” he concluded.
“Political entities are discussing the need for a model change, and this marks the beginning of that change,” stated the representative of Save La Tejita.
Protest through Fasting
To demand a halt to the construction of this hotel, a group of individuals initiated a hunger strike over a week ago in La Laguna, establishing a camp near the Church of La Concepción. However, there has been no indication from the Canary Islands Government that they are open to hearing their demands, which simply revolve around enforcing the law regarding this hotel and the Cuna del Alma project. The Cuna del Alma project had faced two halt orders and a penalty in the previous term, all of which were shelved by the current administration comprising the Canarian Coalition and the PP. The stoppage of Cuna del Alma was triggered by its irreversible damage to a significant archaeological site, endangering protected species, and commencing works without an environmental impact assessment.
